Occupational Therapist in Housing
Fixed Term / Secondment, Full Time
£37,185 to £50,081 per annum
Location: Chelmsford
Working Style:
This opportunity is available as a 24 month fixed term contract or secondment opportunity.
We’re an adult social care service that wants to see citizens of Essex have as much choice and control over the way they live their lives as possible. We think everyone should have the chance to live a full and fulfilling life with people they love and care about, doing things that matter to them and living in a place they can call home.
This is an exciting opportunity for a housing Occupational Therapist with experience in major adaptations to develop and support local district and borough councils. As an OT you will be working alongside Environmental Health and Housing Officers within the quadrants to facilitate the safe and early discharge of people from hospital, residential/nursing placements and hospices.
This post will provide the opportunity to work with adults and children with life-limiting conditions and life-altering injuries to prevent formal care placements where their home environment is not currently suited to their assessed needs. This work is essential to ensure discharges are not delayed because of the need for adaptations and issues related to housing needs.
Your role will involve:
1. Completing holistic assessments that include all housing factors impacting on the individual and their household.
2. Working alongside Health colleagues to assist with processing referrals to achieve safe, early discharge and prevent delays.
3. Referring to universal services where appropriate and liaising with other colleagues, including Family Operations, to meet the needs of the individual.
4. Seeking to resolve needs associated with specific impairments by the provision of equipment, support and signposting to alternative services where appropriate.
5. Making recommendations based on assessed need, for the provision of certain property types, adaptations and equipment, taking account of both Health and Housing policy and legislation.
6. Progressing and supporting recommendations where specialist input is required.
7. Working alongside Housing Officers to support Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) funded recommendations.
8. Ensuring referrals are progressed effectively so that adaptations are completed efficiently.
9. Being creative in developing the services provided by Housing by working with local and district councils to provide the best possible solutions for those adults and children who have the greatest need thereby reducing the length of time spent in hospital, hospice of residential/ nursing care.
10. Managing cases that have been assessed by a Health or Social Care OT to support the Housing Officer.
About You
If you share our vision, enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories you might be interested to find out more about what we do.
If you’re also an Occupational Therapist registered with HCPC with that winning combination of creative thought, reliability and practical ability to get things done, we’d really love to hear from you!
You’ll bring experience of Occupational Therapy and major adaptations, modelling good practice and providing advice and guidance in complex situations. You’ll be confident in person-centred and positive risk-taking approaches.
As, as a subject matter expert in relevant professional practice, you should have a comprehensive understanding of current legislation, regulations and guidance and be able to demonstrate evidence-based practice, with an awareness of financial considerations and risk.
You will have strong communication skills, with the ability to develop strong relationships with partner agencies and the local community to provide a supportive framework.
This role involves travelling throughout Essex. A driving licence and car - or the ability to meet the mobility requirements of the role through other means - is essential.
Why Join Us?
In June 2025, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated our Adult Social Care services as “Good” with a score of 73%
“The local authority had a good structure and processes in place to enable people to be supported successfully, and support people to remain independent and live healthy lives. The workforce was passionate about supporting people to achieve these outcomes and the local authority had good knowledge of their area, the people living there and the demographics.”
You can read the full report on the CQC website
11. and about the LGPS.
12. Volunteering leave
13. 27 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising with service
14. Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) - access to free and confidential information, support, and guidance from a team of highly qualified professionals.
15. Employee Networks – communities to support you, connect you and help influence change at ECC
16. Payment of your professional registration fees!
Whatever you want to achieve in your career, you can do it here.
In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about ) on our careers site
Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.
Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.
At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.
Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.
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